10 Hot Stocks to Watch — Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Rivian stock suffered its worst day in over two years, plummeting 18.12% to $16.49 after announcing a 75-million-share offering to raise $1.5B for debt repayment and DOE loan contributions. The dilution-driven selloff compounds concerns over stalled R2 deliveries, with buyers reporting VIN-matching delays ahead of scheduled production ramp. Options positioning remains mixed—put volume dominates below $17, but call interest persists at $18–$17 strikes through mid-July, suggesting investors are hedging downside while cautiously eyeing a recovery.

Rocket Lab tumbled 10.4% to $83.41 Tuesday as insider selling overshadowed a successful Space Force mission completed ahead of schedule. The stock has surrendered nearly half its 52-week high of $151, though options traders are positioning for recovery: call volume surged 1.57x puts, with heavy positioning in $90 and $100 calls expiring July 2026. Watch the $80 support level—currently at-the-money puts suggest conviction around this floor—as the space sector broadly corrects despite fundamental tailwinds.

Lucid shares fell 9.98% to $6.00 on Tuesday as investor focus sharpened on the automaker's cash-intensive operations, mirroring broader EV sector weakness following Rivian's 14% drop on a secondary offering. Leadership restructuring—including new CFO and CTO appointments—failed to offset capital concerns. Put options dominate the flow, with $6.0 puts expiring July 2026 showing heaviest volume (4,296 contracts), suggesting investors are hedging downside risk through mid-2026.

Intel dropped 9.66% to $110.39 on Tuesday as a Samsung earnings miss triggered a broad semiconductor rout, erasing gains from the AI rally. Yet options traders are stepping in aggressively: call volume surged to a 2.32 call-to-put ratio, with heavy positioning in $115 and $120 calls expiring July 2026, signaling conviction in a rebound. Watch $110 support and the $115 technical level through week's end as institutional buyers test the dip.

Cloudflare (NET) surged to near 52-week highs after Scotiabank upgraded the cloud security firm to Sector Outperform and lifted its price target to $300, signaling 20% upside from current levels. Options traders are heavily positioning for continued strength, with call-to-put ratio of 2.65 and robust volume in $300 July 2026 calls—suggesting conviction in the AI infrastructure thesis. The stock trades just 2.6% below its 52-week peak; a breach above $276 could reignite momentum into quarter-end.

AST SpaceMobile fell 7.97% to $74.21 today, dragged lower by sector weakness despite proving emergency satellite capabilities with Vodafone Ireland. Options markets tell a different story: call-to-put ratio of 2.68 signals heavy bullish positioning, with traders stacking $100 and $90 calls through mid-July expiration. The real catalyst arrives in August when BlueBird 12 and 13 launch from Cape Canaveral—a potential inflection point for revenue generation that could test $90 resistance and validate Cramer's two-year speculative thesis.

Riot Platforms tumbled 7.43% today, underperforming a broader 20% crypto-mining selloff as AI momentum faded, though bitcoin rebounded above $63,000. The options market telegraphs conviction in a turnaround: call volume surged 4,777x on $25 July 2026 strikes, signaling traders are betting the data-center transition hasn't fully priced in. Keefe Bruyette's $37 target sits 75% above current levels. Watch $22 resistance (July 10 calls show 1,841x volume) and bitcoin support at $62,500.

Marathon Digital tumbled 6.95% to $12.05 today despite Bitcoin's rally above $63,000, signaling investor skepticism about the miner's strategic pivot toward AI infrastructure. The sell-off contradicts Citizens JMP's June 24 Outperform call and $24 price target, suggesting the market may be pricing in execution risk as MARA competes with well-capitalized players like Starwood in the data-center boom. Options traders remain constructively positioned: call volume surged 2.05x puts, with heavy concentration in $13–$14 calls expiring July 2026, implying conviction for a mean-reversion bounce. Watch the $13 level as technical support.

Occidental Petroleum rallied 5.88% to $51.68 on fresh institutional demand, with hedge funds doubling down on the integrated oil play amid robust proved reserves and consistent earnings beats. Options markets are screaming bullish: a 20:1 call-to-put ratio and heavy July call buying near the $51–$52 strike zone signal conviction for a move toward the $53 level. Wall Street consensus shows 32.6% upside potential, though Berkshire has trimmed its energy exposure.

Devon Energy jumped 5.08% to $42.41 today, reclaiming ground after recent weakness amid oil-price headwinds. The options market is flashing conviction: call-to-put ratio sits at 5.71, with heavy clustering in the $42.50–$43.00 strikes expiring mid-July. Morgan Stanley's Overweight rating and $63 price target—versus today's close—underscore the bull case for the energy producer's valuation edge and 0.432 beta, a cushion in volatile macro conditions. Watch the $43 level as a pivotal resistance inflection.